Daddy's Girl, Mommy's Girl
by The Sarcastic Polar Bear
Summary: A series of cute oneshots about Mal, Natara, and their daughter.
1. A Child is Born

**So, this is part one of a new series of oneshots. Enjoy! Oh, and Mal and Natara are married in this story, because the stupid writers are going with Natara/Oscar, and it sickens me.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the baby in this story. **

Natara Fallon stood sideways in front of a full length mirror, glaring hatefully at her reflection. Or rather, her huge stomach of a reflection.

"What did the mirror do to you?" Mal reached for his jacket and she turned her glare to him.

"Nothing, Mal. Absolutely nothing. You, however, made me the size of Jupiter and refuse to get my snack!" she seethed.

"I have every reason not to prepare it. You asked for pickles dipped in honey."

"Mal Fallon, you know very well that I am eight months pregnant and that I can't control what my cravings demand!"

He held his hands up in defeat. "But you don't need to wake me up at four in the morning to beg for pickles and honey mixed together!"

"It's your own fault for not fixing pancakes for dinner last night."

Mal rolled his cerulean eyes. "Fine. After work, I'll buy some pickles and honey for you to have with the pancakes."

"But by then, I'll have another craving that you just won't satisfy!"

He smirked. "Trust me, I'm capable of satisfying cravings."

Natara grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him. He dodged quickly and it hit the wall near his head. "Just go to work," Natara grumbled, lying back down in bed.

"See ya." Mal kissed her, and she glared at him. "What? I'm just being nice."

"You can be nice once I stop literally crying over spilled milk and when my cravings for disgusting things are over."

He stuck his tongue out at her before he holstered his gun. "Call me if-"

"I know, I know. Call you if the baby pops out. Got it. Now get out of here before I throw something heavier than a pillow."

"Have fun without me." Mal grinned in amusement and left the apartment, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Natara awkwardly sat up and rubbed her abdomen before shuffling into the kitchen to find something for breakfast.

The baby gave her a couple of strong kicks, and she groaned. "You're acting like your father in there. You'll get out soon, just settle down." _I hope, _she thought. _One more month to go._

She grabbed a banana and peeled it before she poured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting down, she rested one hand on her stomach as she ate. The unborn baby inside her womb settled down, to her relief.

"All that for a little bit of food? You really are behaving like Mal. God help me if you're a boy." Mal had begged to find out the gender of their child, but Natara had stubbornly talked him into waiting until the birth to find out. The entire ride home after her appointment had been spent with them debating about the gender. Natara insisted that she was carrying a girl, while Mal insisted that it was a boy.

For the next couple of hours she sat down on the couch and watched television. It was around noon when she felt a sudden cramp tear through her abdomen.

Her heart racing, she sat up straighter. Another searing pain shot throughout her, and she grabbed for her phone, her hand shaking. Frantically dialing Mal's number, Natara rested her hand on her stomach.

"You know, you could have waited a little longer," she whispered. "I'm not that desperate to get you out of me." She let out a groan of frustration when she reached her husband's voicemail. "Mal, get home. _Now._" She tried to call him again, with no avail.

Finally Mal was able to reach into his pocket and grab his cell phone. Seeing that he had two missed calls, he swore under his breath.

"Obsessing about the wife again?" Ken Greene asked as he shoved their handcuffed suspect into the backseat of their car.

Ignoring him, Mal hurriedly called Natara, sighing in relief when he got an answer. "Nat?"

"Mal, get here now. I think I'm in labor."

It took him a moment to react. "Now?"

"Yes, now! I think I'm having-" she let out a groan. "Contractions…"

"Okay, just stay calm. I'm coming." He jumped into the car. Natara let out a sharp gasp.

"Mal? Get here _soon_. My water just broke."

"Alright. Just hang on, okay?" Mal hung up and tried to stay calm. "Ken, drive like hell. Natara's in labor."

"Way ahead of ya. I could hear her from over here." Ken slammed on the gas, and they sped toward Mal's apartment.

When they reached their destination, Mal hurried out of the car and started to run. He charged into the apartment complex and found his door, rushing inside. There he found Natara sitting on the couch in agony. "Natara… I'm here."

"Oh, thank God…" she gasped, her eyes closed. Mal helped her up.

"Okay… stay calm. I'll get you to the hospital." He took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders. He rushed her out to his car and helped her into the front seat.

"H-hurry…" she begged.

"It's okay. Don't panic." Mal jammed the key into the ignition and drove toward the hospital as fast as he possibly could without crashing.

Finally they arrived and he helped her out of the car, hurrying into the emergency room. Natara was quickly whisked back, and he hurried alongside the gurney.

"Alright, Mrs. Fallon, it's going to be a while until you can start pushing. We'll give you some meds to control the pain," a blonde nurse said calmly.

"Alright..." Natara growled. The pain medication brought some relief, but the contractions grew more intense and closer together.

Mal gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're doing fine." Natara smacked his arm and glared at him venomously. "Oww… what was that for?"

"For getting me pregnant!" Natara scolded. A nurse looked at Mal sympathetically as Natara cried out in pain again.

After what felt like a year to Natara, the nurse announced that it was time to push. She grabbed Mal's hand and gripped tightly. He tried not to wince as her fingernails dug into his skin.

"C'mon… you can do it," he urged.

"Shut up, I'm focusing!" Natara wailed. She gritted her teeth and pushed, holding Mal's hand in an impossibly tight death grip.

"You're doing fine, keep going," the nurse coaxed.

"You see?" Mal asked. She would have glared at him, but her eyes were shut tightly as she pushed with all her might.

"I can see the head!" the nurse cried. "Just one more push!"

Natara let out a pained scream as she pushed one last time, and the tiny infant slipped into the nurse's hands. Soon, the sound a piercing baby shriek filled the air, and the nurse called, "It's a girl!"

She wearily looked at Mal. "Told you so." She gave him a weak smile.

"You're always right." But nonetheless he smiled as the nurse placed their daughter in Natara's arms. "We did good."

"Yeah…" Natara smiled softly at the red-faced infant in her arms. "I think she has your eyes."

Mal looked closer, and sure enough, he could see that the little girl had his blue eyes. But everything else about her was Natara.

"You're right," he said as Natara passed the baby to him. "We did pretty good. And now we can agree on a name."

Natara looked thoughtful as she studied the infant. "I like Olivia."

Mal thought it over. "Olivia Natara… I like it."

**Rough ending, I know. But review for another cute little oneshot :D**


	2. Sit Up, Sit Up

**Hello! Sorry this took so long, but here we go! This one is a bit shorter, around 761 words. Please enjoy :)**

Early one Monday morning, Natara sat on the sofa with Olivia as Mal prepared himself for work.

"Mal! Mal, she's doing it!" she yelled. Olivia had recently learned to sit up, and Mal didn't believe her because Olivia had laid back down the moment he looked at her.

"Yeah, sure." He turned around, and Olivia had fallen onto her back with a grin. He scowled. "Nat, one of you must be pulling my leg."

"It's not me!" she defended. "C'mon, Olivia, show Daddy that you can sit up!" Olivia looked up at her with a blank expression. "She was just doing it."

"Of course." Mal turned around and slipped into the kitchen. As soon as he was out of her sight, Olivia pushed herself back into a sitting position.

"Mal!"

"Whatever, fibber!" he shouted back. Olivia cooed and sat straighter. "Mal, I mean it! Get the hell in here!"

"Is that any way to speak in front of an infant? Her earliest memories will be of you verbally abusing your poor husband."

"Be quiet and look at her!"

"She's still lying there."

Natara looked back at Olivia, who had returned to her original position. "But she was just…"

"Don't worry. Once you wake up more, you'll be able to see clearly."

"Mal, shut up!" Natara groaned. "C'mon, sweetie! Sit up! Stop making me look like an idiot."

"Nat, you're in your bathrobe." She shot him a look that could melt ice, and he held his hands up in defense. "Which I find sexy, by the way. You ought to wear it to work one day."

"Just get dressed for work!" she snapped, picking Olivia up and storming into the nursery. Mal chuckled and grabbed his jacket. As soon as Natara placed Olivia on the changing table, she sat up. Natara sighed.

"I'm not even going to try to get your father to see you." She dressed the baby in a clean diaper and outfit and frowned at the teasing look in her eyes. "You're amused, aren't you?" Olivia was only five months old, but she has obviously inherited Mal's joking nature.

"She's amused because she knows she's fooling one of us."

Natara threw a pillow at him. "Stop being mean." Suddenly she lit up. "Mal, I can take a picture! Get out!" She shoved him out of the room and grabbed her cell phone. "Okay, Olivia, Daddy's gone! Now sit up!"

But Olivia stared at her, puzzled. She looked down at her feet, suddenly mesmerized by her toes. She pulled her foot towards her mouth. Natara threw her hands in the air with frustration. "This isn't funny, Olivia."

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned to throw the soiled diaper away. When she turned around again, Olivia was sitting up, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. The moment Natara grabbed her phone, Olivia fell back. "I know you think you're being cute, but please let me get a picture of you so Daddy will realize I'm right as always," she pleaded.

The infant simply cooed and raised her arms. Natara picked her up. "You're such a goofball sometimes." She glared at Mal as she passed him. "I wonder where she gets _that_ from…"

"The woman trying to force her to sit up."

"Hush." Natara set Olivia down on the sofa and turned around to pick up some of the items scattered on the coffee table.

"Hey, Nat?"

"What?"

"You're not crazy. She's doing it."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure she is. Stop teasing me."

"I mean it! Turn around!" he argued. To please him, Natara turned around and scowled. "Nat, I'm serious. She was sitting up!"

"Then why did she fall down?"

"You tell me! Now you're making your dashing daddy look like a fool, Olivia. It's not as cute as you think it is…"

"Really? I'm pretty amused," Natara scoffed. "Wait… you hide and watch from where she can't see you." Mal groaned but hid behind the archway of the kitchen, peering out. To Natara's delight, Olivia sat up.

"Told you so," Mal mouthed softly. Natara stuck her tongue out at him, and he chuckled before leaving the kitchen. As soon as Olivia eyed him, she quickly fell back. "Sorry, kid, you're busted."

"She just didn't want both of us to see it…" She glared at him. "You owe me an apology."

"Says who? How was I supposed to believe you when she wouldn't sit for me?"

"Whatever! Say you're sorry."

"I'll do that tonight." He grinned mischievously. Natara couldn't help but smirk.

"That works, too."

**Oh, my! Please review :)  
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	3. A Picture Lasts Longer

**Here's part three :) Chocolate Mikkah, you get your wish, because I had already started writing that when you reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Olivia.**

A sharp cry penetrated the stillness of the night. Wearily Mal rolled out of bed and shuffled down the hall. Natara had made a reluctant visit to her mother's for several days, and she had been gone for four days and planned on returning in the morning.

As soon as he scooped her up, Olivia grabbed his hand and edged it towards her mouth. As she did so, he frowned at the warm feeling of her skin. Sighing, he grabbed the thermometer Natara kept within easy reach and stuck it under the baby's tongue. He bounced Olivia up and down until the thermometer let out a small beep.

"Hundred and two," he read. "And you get sick the night before your mom comes home on the first time she leaves us alone." Her breathing was congested, and her cries were hoarse and miserable sounding.

He carried her into the kitchen and found the lengthy list of emergency numbers that Natara insisted on sticking to the fridge, and dialed the number for the night shift pediatrician. He didn't necessarily think a doctor was needed but Natara had empathized heavily that if Olivia so much as showed one symptom of a cold, to call the pediatrician.

"Hello, Dr. Emily Holly speaking," a polite voice greeted. It was difficult to hear her over the infant's pitching wails, so Mal had to clear his throat and speak up.

"My daughter has a fever of one hundred and two, and she's stuffy."

"Bring her in. We're open tonight."

Mal hung up and grabbed one of Olivia's little sweaters and a blanket from her room. "You know what the good thing about it being just the two of us? You can go out in your pajamas."

Olivia had settled somewhat, but fidgeted uncomfortably during the ride to the clinic, crying out occasionally. Finally they arrived, and Olivia clutched tightly onto his jacket collar as they walked into the exam room.

Dr. Holly smiled. "Hi, there." She grabbed a thermometer. "It was one hundred and two?" Mal nodded as Dr. Holly took Olivia's temperature again. "It's gone up a bit, but nothing too serious. How old is she?"

"Six months." Mal let Olivia grasp his thumb tightly as Dr. Holly listened to her heartbeat.

"She is congested. I'll look in her ears, and we'll be done!" The little girl fussed as the cold tool was pressed against her ear. "It looks like she has an ear infection." Dr. Holly stood up.

Mal cringed. "Ouch. It must suck to be sick when you're too little to tell anyone." He accepted the prescription that the pediatrician handed him. "Guess it's a good thing your mommy keeps half the phonebook stuck to the fridge."

Dr. Holly chuckled. "She should be fine if she takes those antibiotics. You can slip them into her bottle if she won't take them. She may spit it up, but keep trying."

Mal nodded and left, buckling Olivia into her car seat. She squirmed and whimpered sporadically during the ride home, but had calmed noticeably.

"Alright… let's try this." He opened the bottle of medicine, and made a face. "Ick. This stuff smells like crap. No wonder you may spit it up. Just not on me, alright?" He prepared a bottle and mixed it with the medication. Olivia scrunched her nose up and furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar taste. "Tastes bad? I'd put sugar and chocolate in it, but Natara would probably kill me."  
>It took several tries, but finally Olivia managed to hold down the milk without coughing it up. He changed her into a clean diaper and tee shirt before tucking her back into her crib. "Just scream like a maniac if you need me."<p>

As if she understood him, Olivia began to bawl minutes after he had tiredly collapsed onto his bed and fallen asleep. He sighed and returned to the nursery. "I kind of meant after I had slept a little… but you win." He picked her up and carried her into the living room. He sat on the sofa and turned the television on. "Our secret. Mommy can't find out I've been letting you rot your brain with TV."

He lay back, propping his feet up as Olivia curled into his chest, her eyes focused on the nearly muted television screen. His hand rested protectively on her back to prevent her from rolling off of him, and she let out a small sigh before they both fell asleep.

And that was how Natara found them when she quietly slipped into the apartment that morning. She set her bag down on the floor and smiled at the sight of Mal asleep, with Olivia snuggled into him, out like a light. She took a photo with her phone, wanting yo capture the moment. She then bent over the back of the couch and kissed them both, stirring Mal awake.

"Mmh..." he groaned. "You're back..."

"Oh, no. I'm still there," she scoffed. But her grin remained plastered in place.

"What? Something on my face?"

"No. It's just that the two of you look so cute cuddled up like that." She grinned ear to ear.

"Hey, she's cute. I'm handsome. There's a difference."

"Whatever." Natara looked at the television. "Mal, was she watching TV the whole time I was gone?"

"Well, she did go to bed after nine most of the time..."

Natara groaned. "I'd be angry, but I'll let it slide. But only because that was the most adorable thing I've seen. How was she?"

"She got an ear infection last night."

"What?" Natara gasped.

"It's all good. I was a superhero and fled to the pediatrician's office in my invisible cape."

"Mal..." Natara picked Olivia up and snuggled her. The baby barely awakened, but curled into her mother's shoulder. "You could have called me."

"It was late, Nat. And I knew she'd be fine." Mal sat up. "And she was after I brought her in here. By the way, if that gets out, I'll be very disappointed..."

"Aww, come on! It's sweet! You were just being a protective daddy who wants his baby girl to be cozy."

"Yes. What a teddy bear I am."

She laughed. "Mal Fallon has a cuddly side. Who knew? Tell me, what else do you two do when nobody's here to tease you? Lullabies?"

He glared at her. "That's for me to know, and for you to never know. So don't even bother profiling it. And I hope the memory lasts, because you may not see it again."

"I took a picture. It lasts longer."

**Hehe :) **


	4. That First Word

**Hi, everyone. New chapter! I originally planned to write this for another fandom, Law and Order SVU. I also named Olivia in this story from one of the characters in that show. I'm obsessed. LOL. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Cause of Death, while the best ipod game known, does not belong to me. However, I do own Olivia. **

When she was ten months old, Olivia babbled constantly and they both knew she would start talking at any moment. One Wednesday evening, Mal and Natara sat on the couch. Olivia was playing in the floor, and they were wrapped in an argument.

"Come on, admit it!"

"No, Mal! I'm gonna be right!" Natara said firmly as she watched Olivia crawl over to her stuffed rabbit, babbling a string of baby talk. "Her first word is going to be Mommy."

"Will not. It's gonna be Daddy. I'm special!"

"Yeah, right." Natara picked Olivia up and held her in her lap. "Say Mommy," she urged. Olivia grinned and cooed at her.

"Ga..." She grabbed Natara's shoulder and giggled.

"Don't listen to her. If you say Daddy, I'll get you some candy."

Olivia simply continued to babble as she reached for her rattle and gave it a long shake. The sound delighted her, and she giggled at the annoyed look on Mal's face. Natara smirked. "I'll buy you a new stuffed animal if you say Mommy," she begged. "Please?"

The infant wiggled out of her arms, and Natara allowed her to crawl off of her lap and onto the couch cushion.

"Ignore her, Olivia. Listen to me. I'm more awesome."

"No, Olivia. Don't pay any attention to him. Mommy."

"No. Daddy," he argued.

"Mommy!" Natara snapped. Olivia laughed at the banter and played with her rattle.

"Okay, that's really annoying," Mal complained. "I hate that rattle."

"Which is why she likes it so much!" She smiled. "Keep shaking it, Olivia. It'll make Daddy mad!" The little girl shook the rattle wildly. After several seconds, she lost interest and dropped the toy before rolling onto her back, looking up at them with a mischievous smile.

"So what's it gonna be?" Mal demanded. Olivia grabbed her fuzzy stuffed rabbit and started chewing on its ear. "I'm starting to think it's gonna be rabbit. She's chewed that thing to death."

"Yeah. What did the rabbit ever do to you?"

The baby chewed the fluffy ear several more times before she dropped it and sat upright. She sat upright, and a strand of hair fell into her face. She glared, clenching her jaw and wrinkling her nose. Natara chuckled. "She looks like you when she gets mad."

"She looks constipated to me. I don't do that weird thing with my nose when I get mad."

"You do it when it's your turn to do diaper duty."

"Hey, her diapers don't exactly smell like an angel's butt. And she always decides to make a smelly one when it's my turn."

"She likes to aggravate you, because she knows you let her get away with it. And she does that to me, too. She knows we both have a soft spot just for her." Natara watched as Olivia made a strange sound, hugging her rabbit again.

"We aren't making much progress on this whole talking thing. But I'm still right," Mal piped. Natara grabbed the pillow and smacked him with it. "Meanie."

"Stop arguing with me, Mal! I'm always right!" Natara scolded as Olivia grabbed Mal's knee and smiled slyly.

"She's on my side!" he exclaimed. But the infant also grabbed Natara's wrist. "Or I thought she was…"

"No, she's on my side."

"Olivia, you have to say Daddy, or else I have to lose a bet."

Natara looked at up. "What bet?"

"I have a bet going on with Ken…"

"Ken," Olivia echoed calmly, stroking her rabbit thoughtfully. Mal and Natara stared at their daughter in disbelief.

"What did you just say?" Mal asked.

"Ken," Olivia repeated, drumming her chubby little hands on her knees.

Natara sighed. "Well, I guess she proved both of us wrong."

"Maybe. But tomorrow, I'll make sure that she drives Ken insane."

"Don't you do that all the time?"

"I've made her be mean to Kai all week. It's Ken's turn."

"We'll just have to get used to it. Babies say their first word constantly."

Olivia looked up. "Ken."

**I hate how short it is, but this is my second favorite I've done, with the first being the one I posted before this one. **

**To the readers of Bullet, I will update eventually. I just have writer's block for it.**


	5. Happy Holidays

**Hey, everyone! This is a little Christmas update before I go on vacation Christmas day, Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Cause of Death does not belong to me. However, this week's episode was very cute, and I can't wait until next week for part two! I do own Olivia, though. **

**And to a bit of a nerd, yes, Olivia is named after Olivia Benson from SVU.**

Tiny footsteps padded against the living room floor. It was Christmas day, and Olivia had recently learned to walk by holding onto one of her parents or a piece of furniture. She constantly grabbed onto things, often resulting in a mess to clean up.

Every time Mal or Natara turned around, Olivia would be trying to make her way towards her presents, and upon being seen, she would fall onto her rear end and smile innocently.

"Alright, Olivia, you can start opening now." Natara sat down on the couch next to Mal, and Olivia grinned widely and tackled the closest gift.

"Well, that was gentle," Mal commented. Olivia went to work, ripping the paper into shreds and throwing the scraps all about as she opened her present. It didn't take her long to get to the colorful ring toy inside. She smiled cheekily and grabbed another gift, the ribbon from the first hanging from her hair.

For the next several minutes, she wildly tore open her presents, red and green paper fluttering around the living room like deformed snowflakes. By the time she was finished, she had a stack of toys piled higher than she was tall, but she was much more interested in the paper, and sometime in her opening frenzy, Olivia had stuck a bow to her forehead.

"We could have just given her several tubes of wrapping paper to rip," Mal said as he watched Olivia roll in the paper she had scattered.

"She'll play with her toys once the paper's all gone." Natara eyed the living room. "Which may be a while…"

Olivia pulled herself to her feet and took several confident steps toward the tangled mess ribbons she had tossed to the side. Natara leaped for the video camera, which she always kept within arm's reach. Before she could record, Olivia ducked behind an empty box with an exaggerated shriek.

Natara groaned. "She always stops right when I grab the camera!"

"Hey, I wouldn't want someone following me with a camera all day…"

"Yeah, well, the things you do aren't nearly as cute." Olivia peered over the edge of the box and toddled to her parents, and Natara smirked as she caught several of the steps on camera. She lifted Olivia onto the couch, and removed a scrap of paper from Olivia's tangled hair.

Mal tried to peel the bow off of her forehead. Olivia wrinkled her nose in protest and covered her head with her hands.

"No!" she insisted, adding a new word to her incredibly small vocabulary.

"Fine, then. Taking something from you is more dangerous than taking a bone from a rabid Rottweiler."

"We'll get it when she goes down for a nap." Natara picked Olivia up and carried her into the kitchen to feed her. Olivia kept a protective hand over the bow she had claimed, stubbornly refusing to let it go.

The rest of the day passed on. Olivia played with her toys for a few minutes, but still took greater pleasure in the paper she had left in the floor. Natara groaned as she tried to slip Olivia's Christmas dress over her head.

"C'mon, put the paper down for a little bit. Your daddy was _supposed_ to clean it up." Natara glared at Mal over Olivia's head. He shrugged casually and slipped into his jacket, watching in amusement as Natara finally wrestled the dress over the infant's head.

"You do know she'll just get cake all over it, don't you? Every time she eats, she gets more on her than in her."

"That's why I didn't put her in her best dress." They made their way to the car, and she strapped Olivia into her car seat. Olivia grabbed a nearby stuffed pony and hugged it.

"Why do you let her leave so much junk in your backseat? It looks like a pigsty."

"Last time I checked, Mal, your car was even worse!" she retorted. Mal scowled, but climbed into the car.

On the way to the precinct, Olivia grew bored with the toys in the backseat and started singing, a combination of her two word vocabulary and baby babble.

Natara stifled a laugh. "That one's gonna be popular."

"Yep. No, Ken; by Olivia Fallon."

They arrived shortly, and Olivia's eyes widened at the sight of the Christmas tree in the precinct. Her gaze traveled to the table of refreshments, and her little jaw dropped when she laid eyes upon the chocolate cake.

"Ken, I hope you're happy. Olivia's started singing about you," Mal growled. Ken smirked in amusement.

"How about I hear it?"

"No," Olivia said, still staring at the cake in awe. Mal snickered and set her down, allowing her to toddle her way to the table. Natara reached into the diaper bag for a bib, but scowled when she realized she had forgotten it.

"Olivia… try not to make a mess," she sighed, tucking a napkin into Olivia's collar. If Olivia heard her, she obviously ignored her as she dug into her cake, spilling crumbs all over Mal's desk and herself. The napkin somehow found its way to the floor, and by the time Olivia had finished, icing was all over her face and even in her hair.

"You should have just brought her in a diaper." Mal wiped the crumbs off of his desk.

"No, no," Olivia sang. She laughed in amusement as Kai tried to take a piece of cake from Amy's plate.

"Kai!" Amy yelled.

"Kai!" Olivia echoed.

Mal looked up in horror. "Oh, come on!"

**Couldn't resist that one! :D Please review, and have a nice Christmas!**


	6. Of Cake and Ribbons

**Hi, people! New chapter here. I'd like to dedicate this one to River Laren, one of my real life best friends. We have this deal that she will read and review my COD stories as long as I do the same for her Naruto ones, although I don't like anime and she doesn't play COD. **

**Disclaimer: Olivia is my own creation. I don't own anything else.**

"Mal, stop arguing with me!" Natara groaned one morning. "You're doing this."

"You know I'm not huge on parties…"

"I don't care. We've already planned this, and it's Olivia's first birthday. You're staying right here for the whole party, you're gonna be happy about it, and you're gonna help me clean when we're done." Natara hung a streamer over the kitchen counter.

Mal scowled. "And you know I hate the Happy Birthday song." Natara started to hum the dreadful song, and he glared at her.

"You can put up with it for fifteen seconds. It's one day of the year. But you have to be here. Please?" Natara begged. Olivia toddled over and grabbed the leg of Mal's jeans, wanting to be held.

"Maybe… but whoever wrote that song needs to be shot in the-"

"Mal!"

"I was just gonna say the stomach…" he said innocently.

"Uh huh." Natara rolled her eyes. Olivia yanked on Mal's pants and grunted impatiently. He picked her up, and she smiled mischievously and started to sing. She had added Kai's name to her song, to Mal's immense disgust, and she sang it constantly.

"Okay, since I have to hear her sing Kai's name now, if people start singing the birthday song, I'm shooting every person in the room," Mal complained.

"You do that." Natara reached into the fridge and pulled out two cakes, one small one especially for Olivia, and one for the guests. A tray of cookies and a tub of ice cream soon followed, and Olivia's jaw quite possibly would have hit the floor had she been standing.

"Ooh…" she whispered, pointing a chubby finger at the counter full of treats. She reached her arms out, trying desperately to reach them from six feet away.

Amy, Ken, and Kai soon arrived. Maria had planned on coming, but had to cancel at the last moment. But despite the small amount of guests, the coffee table in the kitchen was piled high with gifts. Olivia had seen them, but refused to leave the kitchen.

She was wearing a party hat that nearly reached her eyes, and she sat on the counter, holding a cardboard hat out like an offering. Mal scowled. "No."

Olivia smiled sweetly and continued to hold it. He shook his head again, and she pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. "I said no…" She widened her eyes and before giving him a tiny peck on the cheek. He groaned in frustration, and Olivia placed the hat on his head with an innocent smile.

Natara smirked. "I knew she could get you to wear it."

"How the hell did I just lose an argument with someone who only knows three words?"

"Because she has you wrapped around her finger." Natara lifted Olivia into her highchair and placed the small cake in front of her. "Ready for your cake?" Olivia nodded frantically, and Natara lit the candle. Mal covered his ears as the group began to sing the song he hated, and when he looked at Olivia, she had covered her ears, a look of disgust on her face. She blew the candle out with all her might and grabbed it in her fist, throwing it to the floor with a shout.

"Alright then…" Natara picked the candle up and threw it away. Olivia dug into her cake with both hands, shoveling handfuls into her mouth.

Mal smirked. "Told you that song was terrible." He fixed himself a plate and sat down at the table.

Kai attempted to sneak a bite of the small cake, but Olivia let out a fierce growl, baring her pearly white baby teeth at him.

"Taking cake from a baby? That's really low," Mal commented.

"What? No… I mean, yes! I mean… your kid's an animal!" Kai defended, backing away from the little girl. Olivia nodded approvingly and resumed eating.

Mal smirked. "Atta girl."

Once Olivia was finished, Natara lifted her out of the highchair. "C'mon, messy girl. Let's clean up and then you can open your presents." Olivia grinned cheekily and clapped her hands. Once the icing and cake had been wiped off of her face and removed from her hair, Olivia made her way into the kitchen and smiled at the mountain of gifts on the table, some as big as she was.

She had finished opening her second gift, a stuffed duck and an outfit from Amy, when there was a knock at the door. Mal went to open it, and he stared in shock when he saw who stood on the other side of the door.

"Didn't I teach you not to stare?" Jacob Fallon asked, smiling nonchalantly at his son.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I pulled a few strings."

Mal scowled. "I mean, why? You're supposed to be in prison, and now you're in a room with cops."

"I heard there was a party, and when I found out it was my granddaughter, I had to come!"

"Dad…"

"Look, I'll go back to where I came from! The most I've seen of the kid is a couple of pictures!" his father defended. Olivia walked over to show Mal one of her new toys, and she eyed Jacob in confusion.

The rest of the guests were silent as they watched the scene unfold. Jacob looked down at his granddaughter, and was met by familiar cobalt blue eyes.

"Dad, seriously. How did you get here?"

"What is this, twenty questions? I'm just good buddies with a couple of officers, and they managed to get me out long enough to come here. If it makes you feel any better, I have to wear a hideous ankle bracelet, and they're keeping guard to make sure I don't take off."

Mal still scowled, but he could see the ankle bracelet poking through the hem of Jacob's jeans, and he moved aside to allow his father into the apartment. Olivia immediately reached for the present Jacob carried, and dug into it the moment he set it down in front of her. She pulled out a set of water guns and a red kite. Although she was too young to use them, she grinned and added them to her pile of new toys.

She made her way to the couch and lifted her arms, wanting him to pick her up. Jacob did so, and Olivia stuck a sparkly bow in his hair.

Mal smirked. "Now I'm not the only one looking like a fool."

The new word seemed to catch Olivia's attention. "Fool!"

**I know, you're probably getting tired of me ending these with her saying a new word. But I couldn't come up with anything else. Please review!**

**I decided to give you guys a preview of sorts: Next up, Natara takes Olivia for her first, and quite possibly last, trip to the store.**


	7. Just a Typical Day

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

"Mal, why does she have to go with me?" Natara groaned.

"I'm sure you don't want her watching me play poker."

Natara scowled. "But it'll take me twice as long to go to the grocery store if she's with me."

"C'mon. She's in a good mood. And she's never even been to the store. She may not throw any fits."

"Fine. But I'm blaming you if she does anything." Natara slipped Olivia into her shoes and picked her up. The baby's interest was piqued at the idea of going somewhere, and she clapped her little hands together.

"She's thirteen months old. You can't exactly blame me if she has a tantrum or something."

Natara rolled her eyes and left the apartment. "Alright, Olivia, you'll have to be good, alright? If you are, I may get you something."

Olivia nodded seriously and started playing with one of the various toys in the backseat. They arrived at the store shortly, and Natara had no trouble getting Olivia to sit in the child seat of the shopping cart. The baby hummed contently as Natara started to gather the groceries they needed.

The little girl grew bored in a few minutes, and started playing with the belt buckle in the cart seat. But her attention was piqued as they passed a rack of jelly beans. She pointed excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Okay, since you've been good so far, you can have some." Natara added a pack of jelly beans to the cart.

Natara picked up a can of soup, and when she turned around, Olivia was holding a chocolate bar. "Olivia, you already have jelly beans." Olivia stuck her bottom lip out, holding the candy close. "Sorry, sweetie."

Olivia widened her eyes and wound her arms around Natara's neck, giving her a tiny kiss on the cheek. Natara groaned. "Alright, you can have it. Maybe I should stop teasing your daddy about falling for that."

At the mention of her daddy, Olivia flashed a toothy grin. "Dada..."

Natara nearly stopped dead in her tracks. "...Really?" After all the pleading and even bribing, Olivia had finally uttered her first normal word, as Mal would call it.

"Dada," Olivia repeated.

"Well, you didn't exactly stay on my side, but Mal's gonna be proud." Natara stopped in front of the deli, and Olivia's gaze immediately landed on a rotisserie chicken.

"Oh..." she whispered, pointing at it. Natara chuckled at the desperate look on the baby's face.

"We can have that for dinner." Natara started to place it in the cart, but Olivia grabbed it and hugged it tightly.

"No," she sighed, embracing the roasted poultry product.

"You're the silliest baby, Olivia." The next time Natara looked at her, Olivia had somehow managed to tip a box of flour into the floor. She looked up at her mother innocently.

"Olivia..." Natara quickly moved out of the aisle before an employee saw the mess Olivia had made. "You can't do that in the store."

By the time they reached the checkout, Natara noticed several items int he cart that she hadn't picked up. Olivia had a mischievous smile on her face, and Natara discarded several of the items on the counter.

Several shiny packages hung on a rack near the checkout, and Olivia grabbed one. Natara's eyes widened as she read the label. "No... put that down, sweetie."

Olivia frowned and held it tighter. "No..."

"Olivia... you're really too young for that." Natara tried to pry it away, but Olivia's grip was strong.

Olivia studied it closely, obviously having no idea what she was holding. Natara managed to take it from her, and Olivia pouted. "Sorry, but you won't need that until you're in college. I hope..." Finally they climbed into the car, and on the ride home, Olivia burst open a bag of chips Natara didn't recall buying.

"Olivia, next time, you're going with Daddy."

"Dada."

"That's right." Natara parked in their driveway and carried two bags in one hand and Olivia on her hip. She walked into the apartment, seeing that Mal was home. "Mal, since you made me take her, you're bringing in everything else."

"Why? What did she do?"

"She picked up several things, spilled flour, and now my backseat is full of chips." Natara set Olivia down and put the milk in the fridge. "Now go get the rest of the stuff!"

Mal bit back an amused laugh. "Slave driver." They were able to put most of the groceries away without much incident, and Natara noticed a stain on Olivia's shirt.

"By the way, she said Dada at the store. Go you."

"Seriously?"

"Mhmm. Say it, Olivia!" Natara lifted Olivia onto the counter. The little girl shook her head, pressing her lips together.

"No."

Mal scolwed. "Okay, Nat, that isn't funny..."

"She really said it!" Natara defended. She handed Olivia to him. "She needs to be changed. And since you're to blame for this, it's your turn."

"Fine." He carried Olivia into the nursery and set her on the changing table. Olivia folded her hands behind her head, grinning up at him. "Gross... how can you smile about this?"

After he changed her diaper, he peeled off her juice stained shirt. As he did so, a small object fell out, and he stared at it in shock and slipped it into his pocket. "Natara?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does Olivia have a condom in her pocket?"

"What? I took it from her!"

"Well, she got it back." Mal showed it to her as Natara slipped into the nursery. "See?"

"She picked it up at the counter. She must have got it back when I had my back turned."

"And one of you bought denture cream..."

"Not me." Natara threw the condom away and left the room. As soon as Olivia felt certain that Natara was out of earshot, she started speaking.

"Mama."

**Don't ya just love Olivia? LOL :) Review!**

**Oh, and if you guys have any suggestions, feel free to offer! Not that I'm running out of ideas. I still have lots in store for Maltara and baby Olivia.**


	8. Joys of Babysitting

"You be good for Amy, okay, Olivia?" Natara asked one evening. She and Mal were going out for dinner and a movie, and Amy had offered to watch Olivia.

Olivia looked at Natara briefly before playing with her stuffed rabbit. "No."

Mal smirked. "Aw, go easy on Amy. She's too nice for you to scar for life." Natara rolled her eyes, and Amy frowned.

Natara bent down in front of Olivia. "Can Daddy and I have a kiss before we go?"

Olivia flopped onto her stomach. "No." Natara sighed and stood up. Nowas quite easily Olivia's favorite word. The little girl looked up and pointed at Mal as he grabbed his jacket. "Mama."

Mal scowled. "I'm not Mama. You have gender recognition problems."

"She'll outgrow it," Natara insisted. She checked the clock. "We better go." After Natara gave Amy a quick list of instructions, they slipped out of the apartment.

Amy knelt in front of Olivia with a smile. "You wanna go eat? Your mommy said you need to eat dinner soon."

Olivia nodded and pulled herself to her feet, toddling her way to the kitchen, a near desperate look on her face at the mention of food. Amy easily found the chicken and green beans Natara had left, and she cut the chicken into little bits. She lifted Olivia into her highchair and started to feed her.

The baby nearly ripped the fork from Amy's hand as she took a bite of chicken, chewing with a dreamy look on her face. But once it was time for the green beans, Olivia stared at Amy as if she were attempting to feed her manure.

"Come on... it's not that bad!" Amy coaxed. Olivia covered her mouth and shook her head firmly, pointing at the box of cookies on the counter. "Your mommy said you can have one cookie after you eat."

Olivia uncovered her mouth and swallowed the green beans. In one swift movement, she smacked the dish, sending it flying across the kitchen. Green beans scattered about like green raindrops. Amy wrinkled her nose and picked a few of them out of her short black hair. "Eww... I guess that's the end of that. But you only get half a cookie now."

Nonetheless, Olivia nearly jumped out of her highchair in excitement. She nibbled the cookie happily. Amy set Olivia on the floor, and Olivia walked into the living room, cookie crumbs falling to the floor.

Her gaze landed on Amy's purse, and she immediately pounced on it, digging through it in search of candy. Before Amy could stop her, Olivia threw the contents in the floor, scattering the cell phone, compact mirror, and other small items in various directions. Amy scurried to pick them up, and Olivia grabbed the cell phone as the screen lit up.

"Hey... let me answer that," Amy pleaded. Olivia hurried away, unknowingly answering it for her and somehow managing to mute it. Olivia started to sing as she scampered into her room, dropping the phone behind the diaper pail.

"No, no, no..." she cooed as Amy picked her phone up. She sighed upon realizing that the caller had hung up, but once she saw that it had been Kai, she simply slipped the phone into her pocket.

"Okay, how about how we watch one of your movies?" Amy suggested. Olivia's only response was a giggle, followed by a clattering sound as she shoved the diaper pail over. The lid popped open, and Amy groaned as she set it upright. She started to grab Olivia, but the little girl had other intentions.

She made her way to the bathroom, surprisingly fast for a fourteen month old infant. When Amy caught up with her, Olivia had grabbed the end of the toilet paper roll and dragged it across the room.

"Okay... come on, let's sit down and do something fun, okay?" Amy managed to pick Olivia up, and the baby squealed, kicking her legs and squirming. Amy began to wonder why she had offered to babysit on her night off.

There was a knock on the door, and Amy struggled to open it while holding Olivia. Kai stood on the other side, his usual eager expression plastered on his face.

"Kai? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I called, and Olivia answered, and I heard you yelling... Kai Kalaba, Babysitting Assistant, at your service!"

"You wanna babysit?" Amy sounded horrified. The thought of Kai with a baby was daunting. Kai nodded and stepped into the apartment. "Do you even have experience with a baby?"

"Duh! I mean.. kinda. Actually, not at all! But I'm helpful!"

"Fine... but you have to help and follow Natara's directions. No junk food, she can't stay up too late, and she needs a bath."

"Roger Dodger!" Kai gave a thumbs up. "Wait, do I have to change her?"

"Eventually. I'll change her first." Amy carried the still-wrestling Olivia into the nursery and managed to change her diaper. She wasn't entirely sure if Kai would be of any help or not, but so far, Olivia seemed to be quite a wild one.

The moment her feet hit the floor, Olivia started to leave. Although she was relatively new to walking, she was learning how to go faster. "Kai, will you fix her milk? Natara said it may calm her down."

"Alrighty!" Kai slipped into the kitchen and poured the milk into a bottle as Amy caught Olivia and settled her in the highchair again. Kai started to open the cabinets, rooting through the kitchen.

"Kai, stop snooping!" Amy scolded. Kai shrugged and put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. Olivia wiggled to get down, and Amy lifted her out of the highchair and placed her on the floor. Olivia stayed put for once, slurping intently on her bottle.

Once she was done, she threw the bottle with all her strength, and it hit Kai in the shoulder. "Ow!" he whined, opening his bag of popcorn. Several pieces fell on the tile, and Olivia grabbed them.

"Hey, don't eat that." Amy tried to pry the snack out of Olivia's hand, but Olivia ate it quickly with a smile. Kai chuckled, and Amy glared at him. Her attention diverting, Olivia walked out of the kitchen.

"Olivia!" Amy called, hurrying after her. She soon returned with Olivia on her hip. "Why is she so hyper?"

"I don't know, but you look hot from behind! I mean... want some popcorn?" Kai offered the bag to her, but she scowled and pushed it away. Olivia reached into the bag, stealing a handful.

"Are you supposed to eat popcorn?" Amy asked. "Natara said not to let you eat junk this late."

"Dada," Olivia said.

"Heh... I bet Mal lets her do everything!" Kai added.

"But Natara makes the rules," Amy argued.

"Yeah, I can see Agent Hottie Boom Bottie being the boss. But wouldn't it be so freakin' hot to see her get mad if we broke the rules? Uh, I mean, if she didn't kill us."

"Eww, Kai. No more snacks, okay, Olivia? Kai, watch her while I get her bath ready." Amy left the kitchen, and Olivia eyed the popcorn bag sadly. Kai peered down the hall to make sure Amy wouldn't see, and he handed Olivia other handful.

Amy soon returned. "Bath time, Olivia!" She picked the little girl up, and Olivia started to shriek when she saw the bathtub.

"No... no!" she wailed.

"Hey, if you let be bathe you, you can have another cookie!" Amy bribed. Olivia immediately settled down, and calmly played with a rubber duck as Amy bathed her. She wrapped Olivia in a towel and carried her into the nursery to find some pajamas. She could hear Kai arguing with the reporter on television as she wrestled Olivia into a pair of pajamas.

Finally Olivia was dressed, and once she had her cookie, she calmly curled up on her pillow in the floor. "That was actually easy," Amy said in awe.

"South Park is on!" Kai exclaimed.

"Kai! You can't watch that in front of Olivia!" Amy snatched the remote and turned the television off.

"Fine," he grouched. "I'll just be bored."

"Kai, if you're bored, go home!" Amy snapped. A smell permeated her senses, and she wrinkled her nose. "Or change her."

"Eww..."

"It's your turn!" Amy insisted. Kai moaned and carried Olivia at arm's length to the nursery.

"Come with me!" he begged. Amy sighed and followed him. "Now, how do I do this?"

"You saw me earlier! Just take it off, wipe her, and use baby powder."

"Okay... I can do this..." Kai unfastened the diaper, and Amy expected him to puke in the diaper pail. But she didn't expect him to close his eyes and fall flat on his back.

"Kai!" she groaned, nudging him with her foot. "Kai?" She stared down at him. "Wow, Olivia. I think he's actually unconscious." With a weary yawn, she finished changing the infant and threw the soiled diaper away. Kai's eyes fluttered open, and he pulled himself off of the floor.

"That wasn't cool..." he sighed. He looked at Olivia. "What do Mal and Natara feed you?"

"You really don't know anything about babies, do you?"

"I don't have kids!" he defended.

"I don't either! But I don't pass out when I'm changing a diaper!"

"It stunk! I have a very sensitive nose!"

Kai followed her into the living room, and Amy sat down on the couch with Olivia in her lap, but Olivia rolled off and started playing with Kai's glasses. "You're getting them dirty," Kai complained.

"Well, she got green beans in my hair, made who knows how many messes, dumped my purse, and she kept running away from me!"

Olivia watched in amusement as the argument unfolded, but her stomach let out a rumble, catching their attention. "Wow. She eats like a pig," Kai commented.

"Get her some mashed potatoes," Amy commanded.

"Why are you making me do everything?" Kai demanded as he stood up.

"I'm tired!"

Kai groaned, but took Olivia into the kitchen for a snack. "You eat way too much... I really wanna look at hot girls on TV..." He sat her on the floor and opened the fridge. When he turned around, she was gone. "Olivia?" He peeked under the table, but the toddler was nowhere in sight. "Amy!"

Amy hurried into the kitchen. "What?"

"I lost her!"

"You what?" Amy shrieked. "Kai! Mal and Natara will kill us in our sleep!"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"Uh... she could fall out a window, or swallow something..."

"Wow... that would suck," Kai whispered. Amy nodded, and they started to search the apartment. After looking in the cabinets, closets, and bathtub with no luck, Amy reached for her cell phone to call 911.

Before she could place the call, she noticed the laundry basket moving. She frowned and moved aside a shirt, and Olivia peered up at her. "Olivia!" Amy picked her up. "I found her!"

Kai sighed in relief. "Yay. I'm too young to die." Amy sat down on the couch, holding Olivia tightly in her lap.

"Stay here," she commanded. Olivia nodded and rested against her, smiling sweetly.

When Mal and Natara finally returned, Olivia quickly made her way towards them and wound her arms around Mal's leg. She had removed every inch of her clothing, including her diaper. Mal picked her up.

"Olivia, where are your clothes? And Amy?" Natara asked.

"I hear snoring." Mal looked over the back of the couch. "Okay, why is Kai here?" he asked in a hushed whisper. Sometime during the night, Amy and Kai had both fallen asleep, Amy's head resting on his chest.

"Wow." Natara picked Olivia's pajamas up. "What happened here?"

Olivia spoke, adding a new word to her vocabulary. "Me."

**Review time! And I found a lookalike for Olivia! It's on my profile!**


	9. Springtime Days

**Hey, guys! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Cause of Death. I created Olivia, though.**

One spring afternoon, Mal and Natara decided to take Olivia on her first picnic. The little girl had nearly done backflips when she saw the cookies in their picnic basket, and the playground had merely added to that excitement.

"C'mon, you gotta keep going," Mal urged. He was trying to teach Olivia how to fly her kite, but she would just take a few steps and stop.

The infant started walking again, dragging the kite string behind her. She bent down to examine the grass, neglecting the kite. Once she was done, she picked up the kite string again and kept toddling on.

"Go a little faster, and it will fly," Mal instructed. Olivia sat down. He glanced at Natara. "I don't think my dad had this hard of a time teaching me."

"She'll learn. She's only fifteen months old." Natara reached into the picnic basket for the jug of lemonade, and the toddler immediately diverted her attention to the citrus beverage. Natara poured some into a bottle and handed it to Olivia, who slurped it thirstily.

Once she had finished her drink, Olivia returned to the kite. After several tries, the kite was in the air. "Keep going, you're doing it!" Mal praised. Delighted, The baby walked faster until she stumbled and fell.

She stood up quickly and grinned. "Gah..." she cooed.

"Well, you did it for a few steps. That's good enough." Mal picked up the kite, and Olivia went to investigate a flower bush.

"Dada!"

Mal looked at his daughter. "Hey, hey, put that down," he commanded gently. Olivia stared blankly and gave the snake in her arms a pet on the head. "Natara! She's got a copperhead!"

Natara knelt in front of Olivia. "You need to listen. Put the snake down or it may bite you," she said calmly. Olivia shrugged and allowed Natara to take it from her and set it in front of a bush. The snake slithered away quickly.

"And of course she obeys Mommy." Mal glared at Natara, and she shrugged innocently.

"She knows that you're the soft one." Natara scooped Olivia up. "Isn't that right, sweetie?" Olivia nodded. "See, Mal?"

"Yeah, yeah, the two of you think being mean to me is fun," he scoffed.

"Because it is!" Natara teased, kissing him on the cheek. "Ready to eat, Olivia?" She set Olivia down and opened the picnic basket. Olivia dove forward and grabbed a chicken leg as if it were going to vanish. Natara shook her head. "I don't think I've ever seen a bigger appetite in a baby."

Olivia gripped her chicken leg tightly in one hand, and a chocolate chip cookie in the other. Her mouth was so full that she resembled a chipmunk with packed cheeks. Suddenly she jumped in the air and screamed at the top of her lungs. "No!" She pointed at a tiny spider crawling across her napkin.

Mal stared incredulously. "Really?"

Natara edged away as well. "Mal, can you kill it?" He turned his gaze to her and rolled his eyes. "Mal!"

"So neither of you are scared of a poisonous snake, but a tiny spider makes you crap your pants?"

Natara glared at him. "Mal," she growled. "Kill. It. Now." Olivia hid behind Natara as Mal picked the spider up and teasingly dangled it near Natara. "Mal! Get it away from me!"

"It's just a little spider. It won't kill you."

"I don't care!" she argued. Olivia grew bored listening to the banter and reached into the picnic basket, climbing into it with a mischievous giggle. She nibbled her cookie, spilling crumbs down the front of her ladybug printed shirt.

With a smirk, Mal set the spider down. "You don't need to kill it, though. I mean, what's it gonna do? Besides make you freak out..."

"I did not freak out. It simply startled me," Natara defended.

"But that snake Olivia caught was fine? That's kind of strange. Then again, so are the two of you."

Natara smacked him on the arm. "I am not strange! She gets that little mischievous streak from you!"

"I don't think I'm that bad."

"Just keep thinking that." Natara turned around to check on Olivia, who was nowhere to be seen. "Mal..." Panic started to fill her voice. "Did Olivia run off?"

"She couldn't have. She was just right there."

"I'll go check the playground. You look over here."

Inside the basket, Olivia grinned and opened the small baggie she had found. Without looking at what she was about to eat, she popped the food into her mouth. Immediately she wrinkled her nose and spit it out, letting out a surprised yell as the green bean fell from her mouth. Mal lifted the lid of the basket to see Olivia looking up at him with a pout.

"I guess that should have been my first look." He lifted her out of the basket, and she continued to scowl at the bean she had discarded.

Natara sighed in relief as she joined them. "There you are."

"She found the green beans you were gonna trick her into eating."

"Shh," she whispered. "She needs to eat something healthy once in a while. She can't live on cookies and fried chicken." Olivia overheard and made a disgusted face.

"Damn," she spat. Natara's mouth dropped and Mal bit his lip, attempting to stifle a laugh.

"Olivia! We don't say that!" she scolded gently.

"Dada," Olivia accused, wagging her finger at Mal. Natara gave Mal a cross look, and he shrugged innocently. Olivia glanced at Natara. "You."

"Now who's talking?" Mal smirked in triumph. He set Olivia down, and she went to pick a flower. But something else caught her eye, and she returned with it.

"Olivia, put the snake down again!"

**Aw. The things kids say! LOL. Review, and maybe I'll update sooner this time!**


	10. Let Them Eat Cake

**Hey, guys. Here's a new chapter! This one might have been better to post before the previous, because in a way, it continues chapter eight. Or at least references it. Anyway, enjoy**

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Cause of Death. Olivia is my own creation, though.**

One Monday night, Mal and Natara took Olivia to a restaurant for the first time. She was immediately mesmerized by the decor, and even more awestruck by the menu.

"Olivia, can you please sit in the highchair?" Natara asked as Olivia sat on the table, coloring the children's menu.

"No."

"Well. That settles that," Mal commented. Olivia snapped a red crayon in two and put one half in her mouth. Natara grabbed it quickly.

"No, that's gross," she scolded gently. Olivia scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Mal, she scowls as much as you do sometimes." When Olivia furrowed her brow and frowned, she resembled Mal. And when she smiled, she looked like a blue-eyed version of her mother.

"When she's not giggling and being mean to me? Which is about ninety nine percent of her time since she was born."

The toddler quickly recovered from her annoyance and resumed scribbling over the menu, taking great care to press down as firmly as possible, causing the crayon tips to dull quickly.

A waiter passed them with a dessert tray, and Olivia's eyes widened,the crayon slipping from her fingers as she sat straighter, watching with longing. She turned to her parents, silently pleading.

"After dinner," Natara promised before Mal had the chance to say yes. Both Mal and Olivia scowled for a moment, and Natara had to laugh. "Don't worry, I'm sure our dinner will be here soon."

Olivia clapped her hands in delight and hugged her favorite stuffed rabbit, which she took nearly everywhere. She placed the stuffed animal in the highchair and scooted closer to Natara, stealing a sip from her milkshake.

"You're supposed to steal your daddy's stuff, sweetie."

"No," Olivia giggled, taking another sip before the waitress arrived with their food.

"Aww... she is so sweet!" The waitress's name tag said Tina, and the young woman smiled at Olivia before setting their food down.

Olivia grinned and took a bite of turkey before pretending to feed her bunny, talking to it in both baby babble and the words she knew. Tina laughed before walking away, and Olivia checked over her shoulder before stealing one of Mal's fries.

"Hey, that's not funny. You act so sweet when someone else watches, then you steal from me?" he grumbled. Olivia nodded and ate the fry with a proud smirk.

She frowned at the small portion on her plate, but continued to eat, pushing the broccoli away once she finished the turkey and the small amount of mashed potatoes. She looked longingly at Mal's steak. She had never tried it, but she reached a tiny hand toward it, looking at her daddy pleadingly.

Mal cut a small bite and handed it to her, watching as the little girl chewed it with a thoughtful expression. Olivia's eyes lit up, and she reached for another piece.

"Why did I do that?" Mal sighed as Olivia sat in his lap and picked up another bite, stuffing it into her mouth. She obviously loved the taste, and eventually Mal cut several bites and placed them on her plate. She sat on the table again, chewing the meat as if she would die of pure enjoyment.

She frowned sadly when she finished, and returned her attention to Mal's plate. His fries were still left, and she quickly grabbed one.

"You just ate part of my steak! Let me eat my fries. Steal something from Mommy."

Olivia eyed Natara's garden salad. "No." Then she remembered the milkshake and edged closer to Natara. With a sigh, Natara poured part of the milkshake into Olivia's empty juice cup.

"Thanks, Mal," she scoffed.

"It's fair. I lose a third of my steak, so you lose a third of your milkshake," Mal argued.

Olivia started to join the conversation, but was distracted as she caught sight of two familiar people. "Kai!"

Mal looked up. "Where?" He followed Olivia's gaze and groaned. "It never ends..."

When Kai spotted Olivia, he hid behind Amy. "Oh, no... I was just getting over the nightmares," he whispered in horror.

Natara frowned and looked at her daughter. "What are you talking about?"

"She's a monster!"

"Well... she wasn't _that _bad," Amy added after a moment's hesitation. "Just a little... mischievous."

Olivia shrugged with all the innocence in the world, as if she had no idea what her parents' coworkers were talking about. "Hi!" she cooed.

"No wonder we can never find a sitter," Mal commented.

"Probably because any sitter who watches her would show up in the obituary!" Kai exclaimed. "She's scary!"

"What exactly did she do?" Mal asked.

"Well..." Amy began. "She threw her bowl of green beans, dumped my purse, answered my phone-"

"That's where I came!" Kai interrupted proudly.

"And she just ran around the apartment and made messes," Amy continued. "And then Kai lost her."

"I did not! I turned my back and she left!"

Olivia's innocent facial expression remained, and she blew a kiss with a tiny laugh.

"No... no!" Mal nearly shouted.

Chanting the subject, Natara asked, "What are the two of you doing here?"

"Uh... we wanted to see if we looked even hotter under these lights..." Kai responded. Amy glared at him. "I mean... never mind." He quickly turned and walked away, and Amy rolled her eyes before following him.

"Well... that was unexpected." Natara wiped some crumbs off of Olivia's blue shirt.

Tina soon returned. The waitress gave them a friendly smile. "Anything else?"

Olivia nodded and pointed at a large beer on a table across from them. "Dat."

"You're a bit little for that," Tina chuckled. She pulled a dessert cart over.

Olivia stared at all the desserts before pointing at the chocolate cake. "Dat," she confirmed. Tina set the plate in the center of the table and handed them some forks before leaving.

Olivia took such a large bite that her cheeks puffed out. "Yummy," she said, her voice muffled. She dropped the fork and grabbed a handful of cake, her little hand already coated in chocolate.

Mal and Natara were able to cut pieces of the large slice for themselves, and left Olivia the rest. Eventually the little girl grew tired and fell face first into her dessert.

"Cake," she mumbled.

**Let them eat cake! Olivia's somethin', ain't she? Wow... that sounds country... **

**Okay, so... **

**Keep going...**

**Just a little longer...**

**Review please!**


	11. Mother's Day

**Hey! I'm SO sorry it took me so long to update, and this one is short, but hey, it's a new chapter!**

One May morning, Mal carried a sleepy-eyed Olivia into the kitchen. He handed her a sippy cup of milk before setting her down. "Alright, Olivia. We're gonna make Mommy that breakfast you wanted to make her for Mother's Day."

"Kay." Olivia watched as her daddy reached for a large bowl. He handed her a spoon, and she drummed it on the bowl. "Bweakfast."

"Yup." Mal lifted her onto the counter so she could reach the bowl. "Do you want to make pancakes?"

Olivia nodded. "Bacon!" She pointed at the refrigerator excitedly. Mal found the pack of bacon and set it on the counter. He measured the ingredients, and Olivia dumped them into the bowl. She stuck her small hand into the mix and licked her finger. "Yum!"

"Shh. You don't wanna wake Mommy up. It's a surprise."

"Shh," Olivia echoed quietly, wrapping her little fingers around the spoon and stirring the batter. Once it was mixed, she licked the spoon and tossed it in the sink. While Mal poured the batter into the skillet, Olivia drew random shapes on a piece of blue paper to make a card.

"Damn it," Mal muttered with a scowl as he burned one of the pancakes.

"Damn," Olivia echoed calmly, adding some final touches to the card she was making.

"Hey, we told you to stop saying that," Mal reprimanded. "You'll get me in trouble."

"Twouble."

"That's right. You don't want Daddy in trouble, do you?"

"Yes."

"You little monster," he retorted, tossing a small amount of flour in her direction. Olivia laughed and dipped her fingers in pancake batter, streaking it across his cheek.

Mal scowled and grabbed a paper towel. "You're a mean little girl." Olivia giggled and watched as he piled the pancakes on a plate. "You're not even helping me cook."

"Help," she offered, putting a strip of bacon in the pan. "There!"

"Close enough. You can help me pour the juice."

Olivia nodded and reached for the plate of pancakes. "Yum."

"Hey, they're for Mommy." Mal put the plate out of Olivia's reach. "We're almost done, then you can steal them when we give them to her."

Olivia scowled for a moment, then shrugged and sipped her milk. By the time the food was finished, Olivia had succeeded in opening her cup and pouring the milk out. "Mess!"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Cwean." Olivia smiled as she pointed the the puddle of milk on the counter top.

"Nope. C'mon. Time to take Mommy's breakfast to her." Mal and Olivia made their way down the hall, Olivia taking care to make noise. They slipped into the bedroom, and Mal helped Olivia onto the bed.

"Mommy! Up!" Olivia exclaimed excitedly. "Bweakfast!" She shook Natara's arm. Natara opened her eyes, and Olivia grinned widely.

"Well, you're up early," she commented. "Did you drag Daddy out of bed?"

"Uh huh," Olivia giggled and handed Natara the card she had made. "Pwetty!"

Natara smiled. "Thanks, sweetheart. That's very pretty." Olivia wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek.

"You ever gonna be that nice to me?" Mal asked, sitting on the bed.

Olivia shook her head. "No." She bit back a grin as Mal made a face. She snuggled into Natara and pointed at the plate. "Bacon!" she offered. "Ancakes." She frowned. "Tantakes... ancakes..."

Mal and Natara shared an amused glance at their daughter's mispronounciation. Olivia looked up with a thoughtful expression before she gave up and picked up a piece of bacon.

"Stealin'," she confessed.

"You can steal. I'm sure you helped Daddy make it, or else he would have burned the house down."

"Would not," Mal defended.

"Myself!" Olivia added.

"Oh, so Daddy didn't help? No wonder it's so good," Natara teased. Olivia smirked in Mal's direction.

"Liar." Mal tweaked Olivia's messy hair. She scowled and pawed at his hand.

"I swear, Mal, you're a bigger baby than she is sometimes."

"Am not." He glanced at her, then at Olivia. "By the way, you think we should tell her now?"

Natara nodded. "I guess so." She settled Olivia between them.

"We've got something to tell you, squirt," Mal said.

"What?" Olivia put a piece of "tantake" in her mouth.

"Olivia, you're gonna be a big sister."


	12. Father's Day

**Hi, everyone! here's a REALLY long chapter! Well... not TOO long... **

**And I wanna dedicate this chapter to 4everyoung10, because it's her birthday! :D**

"Daddy!"

Mal opened his eyes one morning to see Olivia standing by the bed, smiling up at him. "Uh oh. What are you up to?"

"Nuffin'." She reached her arms to him, and he lifted her onto the bed beside him. She hugged him tightly. "Surpwise!"

"Surprise?"

"Yes!" She grabbed his hand. "Kitchen." Mal followed her, and she led him into the kitchen. Olivia grabbed something and hid it behind her back.

"Olivia made that just for you. She wanted you to have something special for Father's day," Natara commented, sitting down at the table. Olivia grinned ear to ear as she handed him a mug with her handprints in red paint.

"Made it!" she said excitedly. "Wike it?"

"I sure do." Mal pulled her into his lap. "I'll drink my coffee in it."

"No!" she protested. "Milk."

"But I don't like milk."

Olivia shrugged and pouted. "Milk." With a sigh, Mal started to pour milk into the mug. A small amount splashed onto the counter.

Natara looked at him, tears springing to her eyes. "Mal! Clean it up!"

"Jeez. Those pregnancy hormones kicked in fast."

Natara glared. "I paid for that milk, Mal. That's my money you splattered all over the counter!"

"Alright, don't choke me." He grabbed a paper towel and wiped it up. "Happy?"

"Yes," she murmured.

Olivia stared at her parents blankly and slowly put a piece of cereal in her mouth. When she saw the milk in Mal's mug, she clapped her hands. "Good Daddy."

"That was mean, but you're still being too nice. You want something, don't you?"

She nodded. "Candy!"

"I should've known. You don't always get candy from me."

"Always," she sassed. She looked up at Natara and pointed at Mal. "Always!"

"Shh! That was a secret!" Mal shushed.

"Sorwy." Olivia shrugged. "Bad Daddy. Bad bad."

"Bad Daddy is right," Natara agreed. Olivia snickered and hugged Mal's neck. "Who would have thought that big tough Mal Fallon would have a baby girl and another child on the way?"

"God help us if this next one is as spoiled rotten as she is."

"And who is to blame for that?" Natara questioned. Mal shrugged nonchalantly.

"Don't deny it, Nat. I know for a fact that you're almost as bad as I am."

"Am not!" Natara argued. "At least I set limits. Besides, she always pulls that little hugging trick that I know you taught her."

"Hey, I did not teach her. She just used me to test it out."

"You encouraged it," she accused.

"You think I want my wallet to be empty because she's conniving?"

Natara rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Olivia," she asked, changing the subject. "Do you want a brother or a sister?"

"A puppy," she answered, climbing off of Mal's lap.

"We'll see," Natara responded.

"See? I told you that you spoiled her, too."

Natara gave him a cross look. "Just be quiet."

"I don't know if I could handle another woman bullying me."

"Oh, you poor neglected man." Natara kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his bicep. She watched as Olivia sprawled in the living room floor with her stuffed rabbit. "What do you want to do today?"

"Well," he began. "I thought I'd take her to see Dad. I mean, it's been a while since I did anything for him. He may never get out of jail, but I guess it could be his gift from me."

Natara thought it over. "That sounds good. Just try not to stop by the store to buy her candy." She stood up. "C'mon, Olivia! You need a bath."

"No!" Olivia protested, hiding behind the couch. Natara scooped her up, and Olivia watched over her shoulder. "Daddy! Help!"

"Sorry. You can't live your life without bathing."

After much wrestling, Natara managed to bathe Olivia. As soon as she was dry, the toddler ran into her room. "No cwothes!" Natara quickly grabbed her while Mal opened the dresser.

"Wear your Daddy's Girl shirt," Mal said.

Olivia seemed to consider it before shaking her head. "Nope."

"What? You always wanna wear it!" Mal tried to slip it on over her head, but she wriggled away. "If you wear it, I'll get you something later."

Olivia immediately gave in. "Otay."

"Didn't we just discuss this, Mal?" Natara asked as she ran a comb through Olivia's dark brown hair. To Olivia's dismay, she grabbed a bow and fastened it.

"Yuck," Olivia pouted, pulling away and grabbing Mal's jeans leg. "Bye, Mommy!"

"You be good for Daddy, okay?"

"No."

"Yeah, that's gonna happen," Mal scoffed, picking Olivia up and kissing Natara. "We'll be back later. Love you."

"Love you, too. Just stop making me hormonal!"

Mal chuckled and carried Olivia to the car, strapping her in her carseat. "Mommy's gonna be a little out there for the next six months, Olivia."

"You fault?"

"You too? Come on!" he grumbled as he started the car. Olivia giggled and pointed at the radio.

"Music!" she demanded. Mal turned it on, and Olivia immediately started bobbing her head to the rock music.

"You never answered us. Do you want a brother or sister? You gotta choose one of those, not a puppy."

Olivia thought for a moment. "Sister."

"Why? So you and Mommy can teach her to push my buttons?"

"Yes." Olivia tapped her fingers on the armrest of her carseat before she picked up a small box of crayons and dumped them out calmly. "Oops."

"Yeah, sure." Mal parked in the parking lot of San Quentin Maximum Security Prison. "This may be a little scary, and you've gotta stay with me. Alright?"

"Maybe."

"Good, I guess." Mal unstrapped her carseat and lifted her out. "Remember, if your grandpa asks, I'm the cool one."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She eyed her surroundings as they entered the building. Mal flashed his badge at the security officer, who nodded and motioned them through the scanner.

When they made their way down the corridor, Jacob Fallon looked up with surprise. "About time you came by."

Mal scowled and sat on the other side of the glass, Olivia perching on his knee. "I just thought I'd bring her by. You know... as a present..."

Jacob couldn't help but smile at his granddaughter. "She's getting big."

"She's getting mean. I don't have any peace, do I, Olivia?"

"Do too," she insisted, shaking her head in disapproval. "I nice."

Mal snorted. "Sure. Now why don't you talk about the kite and water guns he gave you?"

Olivia nodded excitedly. "Fun!"

Jacob grinned. "Glad you liked 'em."

"We're working on the kite, and I'm sure some day she'll hold me hostage with one of the water guns."

Olivia lit up, and Mal mentally kicked himself. "Olivia, tell him what you're gonna get."

"Candy."

"Nope."

"Puppy."

"What am I, a giant fluffy stuffed bear? Remember? Mommy and I told you."

"...Kitty?"

Mal sighed and whispered in her ear, and she nodded understandingly. "New baby!"

"You think you'll like your brother or sister?" Jacob asked.

"Nope," Olivia responded. "No, no."

"She's just saying that because she doesn't want to share my near-empty wallet with a sibling."

Olivia glared at him. "No share hugs."

"You're just gonna let your poor brother or sister go without me hugging them? I bet Mommy and I are gonna have to hug them."

"No!" she insisted.

"Then who will?"

Olivia pursed her lips. "Ken."

"Somehow I doubt Ken's gonna come to our house every time the kid needs a hug."

The toddler threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Kai!"

Mal blinked. "...No."

"Daddy's silwy," Olivia sighed.

Mal arched a brow. "You think I'm silly? Where did that come from?"

"Uh huh!" she laughed. "You cuddwy."

"C'mon, there's no need to tell our secrets," he whispered. He looked up. "I doubt I was this mean when I was a baby."

"Actually, son, she's a lot like you were. Mean sometimes, sweet when least expected. Your mom always said you were giggly and cuddly as could be, but you thought it was amazing to mess with me. Sometimes I thought about mailing you to another country."

"Now that's just harsh. Compared to this one, I bet I was an angel."

"Either way, sometimes you'd do something your mom would spank you for, but you knew I'd let you slide. Then you'd just giggle and act like it never happened."

Mal felt his cheeks burn. "I try not to picture myself giggling."

Olivia was greatly amused by hearing about her daddy's childhood. "Daddy mean?"

"Oh, you bet he was mean! Sometimes I thought he was the devil himself. But every now and then he wanted to be a little teddy bear."

Olivia laughed so hard she nearly fell off of Mal's lap. "He my teddy!"

Jacob grinned. "I bet he is."

"Mommy bang Daddy," Olivia added, more loudly than she needed to.

"Olivia! Where did you hear that?" Mal shushed, glaring at his father for smiling in amusement.

"Kai."

"I should've known," he muttered. "Remind me to chew him out." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "We'd better go, squirt."

Olivia groaned in protest. "Don' wanna," she whined. "Havin' funs."

"I bet you are. Dad, you know she'll go home and tell Natara all of this, and they'll spend the rest of the week taunting me?"

"Just doing my job!" Jacob retorted casually. Mal scowled and stood up. "Mal... thanks for bringing her."

Mal shrugged. "I just figured I'd do something. Happy Father's Day."

Jacob nodded. "To you, too." He had never thought he'd see the day when his son became a father. But as he watched Mal interact with Olivia, he felt pride fill him.

"Bye!" Olivia called over Mal's shoulder. "Be good!

Jacob chuckled. "No promises."


End file.
